The Endeavour was 3 years and 9 months old when purchased from Thomas Milner for 2200 pounds. The Navy Board registered it as a bark, the term for a three-masted, flat-bottomed ship. It was 29.8 metres long, 8.9 metres beam width, a depth in the hold of 3 metres and 368 tons burden. While not a warship, it carried 10 four-pounder cannons and 12 small swivel guns. When it sailed there were 94 persons on board, 71 of whom were Navy, 12 were Marines and 11 were civilians, mainly from Joseph Banks' party. Banks' party's late inclusion required further rearrangements to what were already very cramped living conditions. 18 months provisions had been provided and there were also 4 pigs, 3 cats, 2 dogs, 1 goat and several dozen fowl on board. For getting ashore and other duties there were a longboat, a pinnace, a yawl, a barge and 2 small boats.
In early August the Endeavour sailed from the Thames round to Plymouth where Banks' party joined the ship. With Joseph Banks were two artists, Alexander Buchan and Sydney Parkinson, whose work was to prove a most valuable and lasting visual record of the Pacific. A Swedish naturalist, Daniel Solander, was in the party and he and Banks created a huge botanical, zoological and ethnological record of the places they visited and the peoples they met. Herman Sporing, another Swede, acted as secretary and contributed many fine sketches. Before sailing Cook, Banks and Solander were entertained by William Cookworthy at his home in Plymouth.
Before they left Madeira on September 18th the Master's Mate, Alexander Weir, was dragged by the anchor chain into the harbour and drowned. They sailed on down the Atlantic past the Canary and Cape Verde Islands without incident to their next port of call, which was Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, reached on November 13th.
Brazil, like Madeira, was a Portuguese colony and, though Portugal was nominally an ally of Britain, Cook received a very cold and wary welcome. Portugal was competing with Spain for land on the South American continent and had just expelled the Jesuits, another problem, from the country. The Viceroy had only moved the capital from Bahia to Rio five years earlier and the arrival of Cook's ship there was regarded as suspicious. For Cook, suspected of being a spy or a smuggler, the reception was unexpected and not understandable, especially as he was still very inexperienced in diplomacy. The British were required to stay on board and a tense period ensued while written communications passed between ship and shore. Eventually limited shore access was agreed that allowed Banks to collect some plants and Cook to replenish supplies. Cook, though, had not been idle and he had made a chart of the magnificent harbour and had compiled sailing instructions.
Cook was more than ready to leave Rio de Janeiro and began to leave on December 2nd but even then there were problems. Peter Flower who had sailed with Cook in Newfoundland was lost overboard in the harbour and adverse conditions meant it was the 7th before they made the open sea. They sailed south to pass between Patagonia and the Falkland Islands. The first Christmas of the voyage was celebrated with most on board becoming drunk, Cook apparently turning a blind eye. Temperatures began to drop, even in the southern summer, and "Fearnought" woollen jackets and trousers were issued to the crew. The Endeavour impressed the previously sceptical Banks when it came through strong gales with flying colours. Green, the Astronomer, had given several of the crew instructions in how to make astronomical observations on this passage down the South Atlantic.
Tierra del Fuego was sighted on January 11th 1769 and Cook, having decided not to sail through the Straits of Magellan, approached the Strait of Le Maire two days later. It proved difficult to sail through the Strait and Cook stood the Endeavour off Thetis Bay allowing Banks to go ashore where he collected over 100 new plant species. Two days later they successfully negotiated the Strait and anchored in the Bay of Good Success on January 15th. Their stay of five days there was very eventful. On the 17th Cook, ashore looking for water, met local Fuegan people. Banks was more ambitious and organised an expedition to go inland to collect botanical specimens but things soon went wrong. Buchan, the artist, suffered an epileptic fit and, while he was being tended, the temperature dropped and snow fell. Efforts were made to return to the ship but some of the party were in no state to do so and spent the night in the open. Search parties the next day found Banks' two servants dead, either from the cold or from the rum they had drunk to keep warm.
Meanwhile Cook had surveyed the bay and replenished the fresh water supplies so on January 21st they were ready to sail with the daunting prospect of rounding Cape Horn in a westerly direction against prevailing currents and winds. They passed the Cape on the 25th heading southwesterly through Drake Passage to latitude 60°10'S on January 30th. Cook then turned north into a new ocean, the Pacific.
The Transit of Venus was scheduled for June 3rd and Cook was intent on reaching Tahiti in plenty of time to prepare for the observation. He, therefore, gave little priority at this stage to looking for the Southern Continent and steered a direct course for Tahiti. At first helpful winds enabled the ship to make good progress north and then northwesterly with some days 130 miles being covered. In late February and March warmer but calmer conditions prevailed and daily distances dropped to 13 miles. No land or signs of land were seen.
By the end of March they had reached the latitude of Tahiti and Cook headed west to find the island. On April 4th the Endeavour encountered Vahitahi (Cook called it Lagoon Island), the first of the Tuamotu Archipelago, a group of many small islands scattered over this part of the Pacific. They had no contact with the few people they saw on the islands. Over the next few days they sailed past several other islands in the group including Akiaki, Hao and Anaa before they reached Mehetia, an outlier of the Tahiti Group on the 10th. Wallis had seen Mehetia and he had called it Osnaburg Island. Cook's goal, Tahiti itself, was sighted the next day.
Tahiti is the largest of a group of islands to which Cook gave the name the Society Islands. The name may have been a pun describing the friendly and sociable welcome they received and honouring the Royal Society, which had sponsored the voyage. The people on Tahiti are Polynesian, who are thought to have originated in South East Asia and spread through Fiji and Samoa to reach the Society Islands. From here they have spread further to occupy most of the islands in the Pacific, including Hawaii, New Zealand and Easter Island. Cook was one of the first outsiders to recognise the diaspora of Polynesian people as he realised the similarity between the language and culture of the people he met on distant islands. Tupaia, a Raiatean, who later sailed on the Endeavour demonstrated the sailing and navigational skills of the Polynesians that enabled them to make these huge migrations.
Matavai Bay is one of the few places on Tahiti where there is a large enough gap in the fringing coral reef to allow a ship through to anchor. A small, low, sandy promontory juts out northwards to form and protect a beautiful and safe bay. The Vaipopoo stream entered the sea nearby furnishing fresh drinking water. Cook and Green decided to build the observatory for the transit on the promontory causing it to acquire the name Point Venus. Several tents were erected on the point to house observation equipment and to provide living quarters ashore for Green, Banks and others. A wooden stockade termed Fort Venus was constructed around the tents but did not prevent the astronomical quadrant being stolen. A panic ensued as the instrument was crucial for the observation but after much searching and threats the quadrant was returned and all was in readiness to observe the Transit.
In case of cloud cover it was decided to supplement the observation at Matavai Bay by sending two groups to other locations. Lieutenant Hicks, Cook's second-in-command, took a party in the pinnace east to an islet, Motu Taaupiri, while Lieutenant Gore's group rowed west across to Moorea to a rock named Motu Irioa. June 3rd, the day of the Transit, was clear, bright and very hot, which augured well for a good sighting, which Green and the two other groups did have. Cook had distinct reservations about his own readings.
Cook was not yet ready to leave Tahiti, probably realising it was too soon in the year to venture south to the colder climates of high latitudes in search of the Southern Continent. Instead, he decided to make a tour of the island and he, Banks and a small party set out in the pinnace on June 26th. They alternated rowing and walking on the tour which was made in a clockwise direction in 6 days.
At Hitiaa on the first day they were shown where Bougainville, the French explorer, had landed the previous year. At Taravao they realised Tahiti was two sections linked by a narrow isthmus before proceeding from Tahiti Nui, the larger part of the island, to Tahiti Iti, the smaller part. At Tautira on Tahiti Iti they met the local Chief and his son Te Arii who accompanied the tour as far as Pari where they spent the second night. Another Chief, Matahiapo, travelled with them on the third day to Vairao. Back on Tahiti Nui they saw near Papara, the Marae at Mahaiatea, which impressed Banks greatly. The party made its way up the West Coast to Faaa and Pare and finally back to Matavai Bay.
The restocked and repaired Endeavour sailed from Matavai Bay on July 13th 1769. Tahiti had had a considerable effect on Cook and all others on board. The drawings of Parkinson and the descriptions by Cook, Banks and others all contributed to the idyllic picture of the South Seas that soon developed in Europe. The concept of the "noble savage" as a description for the Polynesians stemmed from Bougainville's and Banks' writings. Cook though was more practical and saw Tahiti as an ideal base from which to explore the Pacific. It was central, possessed an equitable climate and afforded fruit, vegetables, water and other supplies that Cook could need.
Banks persuaded Cook to take Tupaia on board and this proved to be a beneficial move as Tupaia's navigational, translating and diplomatic skills were to be used often. He helped draw a map, "Tupaia's chart", that showed that the Polynesians possessed a great knowledge of the geography of the Pacific and had obviously sailed to much of it. Cook still showed no inclination to head south but instead decided to investigate the other islands in the Society group.
Strangely Cook did not cross to Moorea and instead sailed north to inspect Tetiaroa, but did not land, and then headed west to Huahine. Skirting the north of the island, Cook anchored at Fare where they stayed for three days, entertained by Chief Ori. On July 19th they made the short hop to Raiatea, Tupaia's home island, to anchor at Opoa at the southeast corner of the island. Raiatea is believed to have been the religious, cultural and political centre of the Polynesian Islands and that it was from here that the canoes left to colonise the Pacific. Marae Taputaputea near Opoa is one of the most sacred places in Polynesia.
On July 25th Cook headed north to the adjacent island of Tahaa but could not land so rounded the north of the island and carried on towards Bora Bora, a few kilometres to the northwest. He could not land there either and sailed south to the west coast of Raiatea and anchored inside Passe Rautoanui. They repaired a leak there and took on rocks for ballast and fresh water. Bora Bora controlled the other islands at this time and its Chief, Puni, was on Raiatea so Cook went to pay his respects. Tupaia was of great value as he led the British through Polynesian protocol. Cook also made shorts trips to Baie Hurepiti on Tahaa and south down the west coast of Raiatea as far as Pointe Pautu. After a week on Raiatea Cook was ready to head south to explore the Southern Ocean and he left on August 9th 1769.
Tupaia was immediately able to demonstrate his geographical knowledge when he predicted the Endeavour would encounter a small island and on August 14th they arrived at Rurutu. Cook circled the island, a member of the Austral Group, while Banks and Tupaia unsuccessfully tried to land from the pinnace. Sailing on southwards they sighted a comet on August 29th and experienced gales and high seas at 40°S. No land had been seen. Cook changed course northwest and had returned to 29°S by September 19th. He then changed again and steered towards the southwest where he knew Tasman had found land in 1642. The Endeavour was by now in poor condition and Cook knew he had to find land so he could repair the ship. The crew was put on alert to sight land and on October 6th Nicholas Young, the cabin boy, saw the East Coast of the North Island of New Zealand, Aotearoa.
The Endeavour was not the first European ship to visit. The Dutch sailors Tasman and Visscher had sailed up the West Coast in 1642 and Cook possessed a copy of their narratives and charts. The Dutch had called it Staten Land but this name was soon changed to New Zealand. It is possible Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese and Malay ships had also visited New Zealand before Cook.
New Zealand comprises two large islands, Te Ika a Maui (North Island) and Te Wai Pounamu (South Island) together with many smaller islands. In the next five months Cook was to circumnavigate the islands and, after carrying out a running survey with only a few landings, he would produced a chart of exceptional quality.
Cook still needed fresh water so he tried to land further round the bay but surf stopped them reaching the shore. They met more Maori in canoes near the mouth of the Kohututea River and another skirmish occurred with three young Maori being taken captive. The next day, October 10th, they landed again and, as the botanists collected plants, 200 Maori assembled including the uncle of one of the captive boys. Negotiations were held but, surprisingly, the boys preferred to stay on board. Cook though was ready to leave and the boys were put ashore.
These events highlighted the problems of two peoples with completely different cultures coming together. The nervousness and suspicions of both parties led to actions and gestures being misinterpreted, with tragic results. In his journal Cook expressed sadness at the shootings and deaths.
Leaving Poverty Bay Cook took the Endeavour south, rounding the Mahia Peninsula, to enter a large bay that Cook called Hawke's Bay. At the southern end of the bay Maori approached them in canoes and trading took place. Suddenly though Taiata, Tupaia's servant, was snatched by the Maori but released after gunfire scared them away. Cook called the nearby headland Cape Kidnappers after this incident. Cook continued south as far as 40°S where he reversed course near another headland, Cape Turnagain, and headed north.
They sailed north past Poverty Bay but, needing water and with the botanists wanting to get ashore, they put into the northern of two promising bays. Cook's ability to record local names failed him completely here as he recorded Tegadoo and Tolaga for Anaura and Uawa, the local names of the two bays. At Anaura they obtained some provisions but local Maori suggested the other bay as a better source of water. On October 23rd Cook anchored near a small cove on the southern edge of "Tolaga" Bay (the small cove was later termed Cook's Cove). They stayed here for five profitable days as relations with the Maori were most friendly and much trading took place. Water, wood and vegetables were obtained in plenty while numerous botanical specimens were found, drawings of people, canoes and landscapes made and surveys carried out.
The Endeavour left Tolaga Bay on October 29th 1769 and headed north rounding East Cape and Cape Runaway, so named after Maori in canoes who had approached the ship scurried off after a shot was fired. Now heading westwards they skirted the shoreline of a very large bay that from the ship appeared fertile and well populated, earning from Cook the name Bay of Plenty. An active offshore volcano was called White Island. Further west another island was called Mayor Island and a nearby group the Court of Aldermen.
Cook was aware that a Transit of Mercury was approaching and needed to be ashore to observe it. On November 4th they reached an inlet suitable for this purpose, Te-Whanganui-a-Hei, where Cook anchored the Endeavour. The observation of the Transit of Mercury would help in determining the longitude of the location so an observatory was set up on the south shore, 150 metres west of the mouth of the Purangi River (Oyster River). Clear skies on November 9th allowed a good sighting of the event, which gave the bay its other name, Mercury Bay. The bay was charted carefully and trips were made to all corners including deep into Whitianga Harbour (Mangrove River). Two pa (Maori fortified settlements) on the north shore, Te Puta o Paretauhinau (the site of Sporing's Grotto) and Wharetaewa were visited and relations with the local Maori, Ngati Hei, were very friendly. The visit was described by Te Horeta Te Taniwha from a Maori point of view many years later.
After leaving Mercury Bay on November 15th, the Endeavour had to skirt some islands, the Mercury Islands, before regaining the coast of what would prove to be the Coromandel Peninsula. By the 18th Cook had rounded the northern point of the peninsula, called Cape Colville after his old Captain in Canada, and entered a large gulf. Now sailing south, Cook kept close to the eastern shore until he came to the head of the gulf and anchored. Cook, Banks, Solander and Tupaia then set off in the pinnace into the mouth of a large river that reminded Cook of the Thames so he gave it that name. It has now reverted to its Maori name Waihou River but Thames is used for a town near its mouth and the lower end of the gulf the river flows into.
Rowing up the river they were amazed at the tremendous height and girth of the trees they saw, probably kauri and kahikatea. Their reports about the trees led to Europeans soon coming to the area to cut down huge numbers of trees. Sadly, few now remain. Cook's party travelled nearly as far as Netherton before turning back to the Endeavour. On November 23rd the Endeavour raised anchor and began working its way north up the gulf now known as the Hauraki Gulf, noting but not exploring the islands and inlets they passed to the west. Cook therefore missed Waitemata Harbour, the site of Auckland. He called islands protecting the Hauraki Gulf on the east the Barrier Islands.
Two days later, Cook called a bay where they caught some fish Bream Bay and some islands just offshore the Hen and Chicken Islands. They continued north passing the Poor Knights Islands to reach a headland on November 27th. An arch (Hole-in-the-rock) in one of two offshore rocks amused Cook causing him to name the headland Cape Brett after Admiral Piercy Brett. The headland signalled a large bay but Cook pressed on to another small island group where they met Maori who sold them fish. The winds were preventing them sailing on so Cook returned from the Cavalli Islands to retreat to the large bay they had passed earlier.
Cook worked the Endeavour into the bay and anchored south of a small island near the southern shore on November 29th. Landing on the island they found it was called Motuarohia (from local Maori) before a skirmish ensued. Landing again they were able to climb a hill, which afforded a panorama of the bay. Having taken on fresh water and vegetables Cook tried to leave on the 30th but was becalmed. Three sailors were punished for stealing sweet potatoes from gardens on the island. Cook and a party rowed south across Te Rawhiti Inlet to the mainland but where they landed is uncertain; Te Hue Bay is the most likely. (A few years later Marion Dufresne and members of his crew were killed in Te Hue Bay). The next day a trip was made to the neighbouring island of Moturua to replenish water supplies. A further visit was made south to the mainland but again there is uncertainty. Cook was shown round a village and a pa that may have been Tangitu Pa.
On December 5th Cook set sail but currents nearly carried the Endeavour onto Whale Rock. They survived and Cook left the Bay of Islands to resume his journey north. Conditions were very poor, progress was slow and keeping close to the coast was difficult. A large bay, Doubtless Bay, was seen but could not be entered and later the same day Mount Camel was sighted. They were close to North Cape on December 14th when Cook nearly encountered the French explorer, Surville, who was sailing in the opposite direction around North Cape on the same day. Cook was forced away from land, which possibly prevented the meeting and it was the 19th before he regained the coast briefly. Next they were swept far to the north before they could attempt to sail south down the West Coast of the country.
Cook had narrowly missed meeting a French explorer but he realised he had reached the northern end of the land depicted on the chart of Dutch explorer Visscher. On Christmas Day they sighted Tasman's Three Kings Islands and celebrated Christmas eating gannet pie but hurricane strength gales over the next few days cut short festivities for the New Year. On January 1st 1770 they were close to Cape Maria van Diemen but soon learned the perils of sailing on the West Coast when they were swept down as far as the mouth of Kaipara Harbour. Cook sensed he should not get too close to the shore as he made his way north again to sight and fix Cape Maria van Diemen. As he headed south again he was not impressed by what he termed a "desert coast". Progress proved steady and they passed Woody Head near Raglan and Gannet Island and Albatross Point hear Kawhia on January 10th.
The next day a high conical mountain was seen in the distance before them and for several days Mount Taranaki / Egmont, a snow-capped dormant volcano dominated the skyline. The Endeavour rounded Cape Egmont (Tasman's Cape Pieter Boerel) on the 13th and turned southeast into the Taranaki Bight. This bight was shown on Visscher's chart as Zeehaen's Bight but the Dutch had not determined if it was only a bay or the entrance to a passage back to the Pacific. Cook sailed on to find out the answer and on January 14th as he passed Kapiti, or Entry Island, he could see no end to the bay. However, the Endeavour was in need of repairs and Cook chose to enter a large inlet to the southwest to find a safe harbour.
A trip was made to a bay to the north where they saw bones, which were confirmed as coming from humans who had been eaten, earning the location the name Cannibal Cove. Two more trips were made into bays on the west of the inlet, probably the bays now known as Endeavour Inlet and Resolution Bay. The dense wooded terrain restricted exploration ashore in these bays. On January 22nd 1770 Cook took the pinnace up the inlet to a point near the entrance to what is now called Tory Channel, before turning back and going ashore on the southern shore. He climbed a hill, Cook's Lookout, and was rewarded by being able to see the "Eastern Sea" (Pacific) and a strait linking it to the Endeavour's present position. They returned via Pickersgill Island and East Bay. A few days later Cook returned to East Bay and climbed another hill, Bald Hill, for another view of the strait. Seeming to enjoy climbing, Cook then went up the hill behind Cannibal Cove from where he could see Gore Bay (not named after the Endeavour's Gore!) and Cape Jackson.
The island guarding Ship Cove, Motuara, was visited several times, especially the pa precariously situated at the southern end (it was also called Hippa Island). Cook raised the British flag on the island and then, on February 7th, he set off to explore the strait that would carry his name. Leaving Queen Charlotte Sound the Endeavour nearly ran aground on rocks, the Brothers, close to Cape Koamaru but the breeze and ebb-tide combined to save the ship and carry it through the strait. Joseph Banks called the strait Cook Strait. The Endeavour kept close to the western shore so missing the entrance to Wellington Harbour. They passed Cloudy Bay and Cape Campbell, with the snow-capped Kaikoura Range (Snowy Mountains) forming a dramatic backcloth, before Cook agreed with his officers that they should attempt to revisit Cape Turnagain. This would establish that they had indeed sailed round an island.
The Endeavour headed northeast past Cape Palliser, named after Cook's Captain on HMS Eagle, before they recognised Cape Turnagain, which proved that Te Ika a Maui (it was called North Island much later!) was an island. With everyone satisfied, Cook turned south and passed Castle Point and Flat Point before regaining Cape Campbell to investigate what lay beyond. On February 15th 1770 the Endeavour was approached by Maori in canoes but they would not talk or trade and returned to land from where they followed the ship's progress south. This was Kaikoura, though Cook called it Lookers on. Two days later they saw land which seemed detached from the mainland and Cook gave it the name Banks' Island. This was a rare mistake for Cook as the island is really a peninsula.
Lieutenant Gore thought he saw land to the southeast and, even though Cook was sure it had been cloud, the Endeavour changed course to investigate. Nothing was found and Cook turned back towards the land but a section of the coast had been unobserved. Strong southerly winds slowed their progress but on February 25th they came to the Otago Peninsula, the head of which Cook called Cape Saunders. The strong winds turned to gales and the Endeavour was driven 200 kilometres from shore. It was several days before the regained the coast and they reached Ruapuke, Cook's Bench Island, on March 6th.
Cook could see land beyond Ruapuke but could not discern whether this land was an island or part of the mainland. He took the cautious approach and sailed south and round this land. In doing so he made another mistake because the land, in fact, is Stewart Island, separated from Te Wai Pounamu by the Foveaux Strait. Cook named some rocks west of Stewart Island after Daniel Solander but the ship was then forced away from the coast again by gales. On March 14th Cook named the southwestern headland of Te Wai Pounamu West Cape and began sailing up the island's West Coast.
Even Joseph Banks was now agreed that the two islands of New Zealand were just that, islands, and not part of the Great Southern Continent. The coast they now followed contained many fiords (it is now known as Fiordland) and Cook named two inlets as Dusky Sound, to which he would return on his second voyage, and Doubtful Sound. Banks, who had not been ashore for several weeks tried to persuade Cook to enter one of the fiords but Cook refused being unsure whether they would be able to sail out again. As on Te Ika a Maui's West Coast, conditions were not to Cook's liking and he pressed on northwards past Cascade Point, Cape Foulwind to be off Rocks Point on March 23rd.
The next day, the 24th, they rounded a long spit, Farewell Spit, looking for the bays shown on Visscher's Chart where the Dutch had had contact with Maori in 1642. Some Dutch sailors had been killed occasioning Tasman to call it Murderer's Bay (it is now known as Tasman Bay). The Endeavour could not make it into the bay and Cook steered instead for a cape he had seen in the distance from Queen Charlotte Sound back in January. Rounding the cape Cook anchored the Endeavour just south of a promontory, Old Man's Head. While the crew stocked up with water Cook took the pinnace south to another headland where he climbed a hill. The view was good but not good enough to show him he was on an island, Rangitoto ki te Tonga. Before he left Cook bestowed some names; the bay to the east became Admiralty Bay, the cape to the north was Cape Stephens and a small offshore island was Stephens Island. The unrealised island would later be called D'Urville Island, after the French Explorer Dumont D'Urville, and where Cook climbed the hill would become D'Urville Peninsula.
Cook convened a meeting to discuss which route would be followed to get them home to Britain. The choice was between going east via Cape Horn or going west via New Holland and the Dutch East Indies. The consensus was to go west and so the Endeavour sailed on March 30th passing Cape Farewell the next day and heading west into the Tasman Sea.
As Cook left New Zealand / Aotearoa he could feel reasonably pleased with his time in the country. He had shown in six months that it consisted of two large islands, Te Ika a Maui (North Island) and Te Wai Pounamu (South Island) together with many smaller islands. He had circumnavigated them and, using running surveys, produced charts and maps of such quality that some were still in use in the twentieth century. His own and his colleagues journals provided records of the Maori people at the time of contact, which would prove immensely valuable for future scholars. The contacts had not been without mistakes and problems (for example, Cook deeply regretted the deaths) but on the whole they had been good. Cook, himself, contributed largely to the harmony but Tupaia's presence probably helped more than anything else.
Queen Charlotte Sound had impressed Cook who saw it as a base form which to explore the Pacific. The Southern Continent idea was, by now, nearly regarded as a myth but Cook was already formulating ideas for a second voyage that would disprove it finally. Before he could do that though he had to sail the Endeavour back to Britain.
Conversely the Replica of HMB Endeavour drew huge crowds when it visited the
country. His visits are also remembered by:
Gisborne and East Cape - A monument marks the spot where Cook landed in New Zealand, while
up on Kaiti Hill a statue (supposedly of Cook but actually a Spanish naval officer) looks
out over Poverty Bay. The Gisborne Museum has a small Cook display and a more authentic
statue of Cook. There is also a statue representing Young Nick (Nicholas Young) pointing
at the headland now named after him. Further north at Tolaga Bay the small inlet where
Cook obtained fresh water is now called Cook's Cove and there is a tablet recording the
visit. Anaura Bay has a small cairn marking Cook's visit there.
Coromandel Peninsula - Mercury Bay has several mementos of Cook's visit. Where the
Endeavour anchored is now called Cook's Bay and a settlement on its southern shore
is Cook's Beach. A cairn in Cook's Beach marks the spot where the Transit of Mercury was
observed and another cairn on Shakespeare Cliff marks the visit in general. Whitianga
Museum has a Cook exhibit. Across the peninsula there are two monuments to Cook. One
monument is by the roadside in Kopu while another, on the side of the Waihou River near
Netherton, marks how far Cook's party rowed up the river.
Auckland - While Cook never called in at Auckland or the Waitemata Harbour there is a
statute of Cook next to the Lion Brewery on Khyber Pass Road. The Maritime Museum has a
very tiny exhibit.
Bay of Islands - A plaque under the water marks the spot south of Motuarohia Island where
the Endeavour was anchored. Russell Museum has a model of the Endeavour.
Wellington - Cook missed Wellington Harbour but Wellington does have some Cook connections.
The Alexander Turnbull Library, part of the National Library, has one of the world's best
collections of Cook material. There is the James Cook Centra Hotel and a suburb called
Mount Cook. Wellington Harbour opens onto Cook Strait, the strait between the two main
islands of New Zealand.
Queen Charlotte Sound - Ship Cove (Meretoto) has a large cairn near the beach which Cook
visited on all his voyages to the Pacific. Offshore on Motuara Island there is another
cairn close to the spot where Cook claimed possession of the islands. The hill on Arapawa
Island, where Cook sighted Cook Strait, is now called Cook's Lookout.
Te Wai Pounamu (South Island) - The highest mountain in the Southern Alps was named after
Cook by Captain Stokes in 1849. Now known as Mount Cook / Aoraki, a Cook River flows from
its slopes to the Tasman Sea, while the settlement near the mountain is Mount Cook. Dusky
Sound in Fiordland is associated with Cook's Second Voyage. A plaque marks the visit to
Pickersgill Harbour in the sound while Cook is remembered by the names Cook Channel and
Cook Stream, which flows into Pickersgill Harbour.
Many towns have streets named after Cook. There are schools, public houses and products, including wine, that have used his name. Many features named by Cook still carry those names (eg Bay of Islands, Cape Farewell) while other features carry the names of people who sailed with Cook (Banks' Peninsula, Pickersgill Island) or of the ships (Resolution Island).
The history of the east coast is full of theories and doubts as to who had sailed there before Cook. Malay, Chinese and even Arab ships may have ventured here. The Dutch had certainly visited the other three coasts and named the landmass New Holland but there is no evidence of them having been on this coast. There are claims that the Spanish and Portuguese had visited earlier and charted the coast. The Lisbon earthquake of 1755 destroyed most of Portugal's historical records but a set of maps drawn in France from Portuguese originals and known as the Dieppe Maps show, it is claimed, proof of prior European visits. It is also claimed that Cook even used translations of existing place names from these maps but it is not known for certain which, if any, of these maps Cook carried on the Endeavour. Cook left New Zealand on March 31st 1770 to return to Britain, having chosen to do so via New Holland and Batavia (Jakarta) in the Dutch East Indies. From charts in his possession he was steering for Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania) as he sailed across the Tasman Sea. Cook, though, was too far north and when, on April 19th, Cook's second-in-command Zachary Hicks sighted land it was part of the mainland of New Holland that he saw. The exact position remains in doubt but a headland in East Victoria is called Point Hicks to mark the event (on some maps it is called Cape Everard).
The Endeavour then turned east and north past Cape Howe to begin what would be a long journey up the East Coast of Australia. Because of conditions, including heavy surf, Cook kept the ship a safe distance from shore and several good harbours were missed as a result. No landings were attempted until April 28th. Just north of Red Point and present-day Wollongong, Cook tried, first in the pinnace, and then in the yawl to land at Bulli but the surf swamped the boats and prevented them getting ashore.
Cook made several excursions around the bay including one up a river on the north side where they explored inland and commented on soils and vegetation (this river, near Sydney Airport, is now called Cook's River). A crewman, Forby Sutherland died on May 1st and was buried near the landing point (the inner point was named for him). Spores and tracks of animals were seen but actual sightings were unsure (a small rat-like animal may have been a wombat). Banks and Solander collected many botanical specimens, occasioning the bay's eventual name. At first it had been called Sting-ray Bay after the many fish that had been caught.
The Endeavour sailed past the Solitary Islands to arrive at Cape Byron on the 15th. Behind the cape Cook could see an inland mountain and, when dangerous rocks were encountered, the mountain later acquired the name Mount Warning. A cape near the dangerous rocks was called Point Danger, while a nearby small island later became Cook Island. The point that Cook called Point Danger is now called Point Fingal while the name Point Danger has been applied to another point just to the north at present day Tweed Heads. Cook next sailed outside two large islands without being aware of them being islands. He gave the name Point Lookout to the northern point of the first island (North Stradbroke Island) and the name Cape Morton to that of the second island (Moreton Island - Morton later gained a letter 'e'). Cook suspected but did not see the large bay behind the islands, now known as Moreton Bay, nor the river that flows into the bay (Brisbane stands on that river).
More inland hills were seen and from their resemblance to glass kilns Cook called them the Glass Houses. They passed Double Island Point and Wide Bay on May 18th before they came to a very large sand island now known as Fraser Island. Rounding Indian Head and Sandy Cape at the north of the island the Endeavour was entering an interesting section of the voyage. They had reached latitude 25°S and, as the coast turned more to the northwest, they were about to come to the Great Barrier Reef, the sequence of extensive coral reefs that fringe the coast all the way north.
Looking for water Cook put the Endeavour into a bay on May 23rd where he anchored and went ashore. He explored a channel that led to a lagoon surrounded by mangroves but most of the area was very dry, sandy and uninviting. Still-smouldering fires were found with remains of eating but no people were encountered, though some were seen from the ship. Some large birds were caught and eaten causing Cook to call the bay Bustard Bay. He left the next day. In a strange incident on board Cook's clerk, Orton, had pieces of his ears chopped off while he was drunk and asleep. Suspicion fell on Midshipman Magra but later it was thought to be Midshipman Saunders who had done the deed.
Crossing the Tropic of Capricorn Cook called a nearby point Cape Capricorn. He crossed Keppel Bay but, unsure of the way ahead, he anchored by the Keppel Islands while he dispatched the ship's Master ahead in one of the small boats to locate a passage. This action would be repeated often among the reefs and small islands. The Endeavour then carefully negotiated a route past Cape Manifold, Island Head, Cape Townshend and across the mouth of Shoalwater Bay to anchor on May 29th at the mouth of an inlet. Cook was considering cleaning the Endeavour's hull and needed more drinking water but when no fresh water was found he pressed on. The inlet became Thirsty Sound.
The Endeavour was sailing north with numerous small islands to seaward, the Northumberland and Cumberland Islands, and a dry coast to landward that did not entice Cook to go ashore. No contact with local people was made and indeed few signs of people were seen. On June 3rd they approached another maze of small islands north of Repulse Bay. A route was discovered on Whit Sunday (Pentecost) to the east of the headland, Cape Conway, and through the network of islands, now known as the Whitsundays. Having passed the Capes Gloucester, Upstart, Bowling Green and Cleveland the ship's compass behaved irregularly near an island. Cook called the island Magnetic Island and its highest point is now known as Mount Cook. Things by now had a tropical look and the next islands became the Palm Isles. Cook got in a muddle over the next two large bays and mixed up their names, Rockingham and Halifax. Dunk Island, the Family Islands, Frankland Islands and Fitzroy Island followed before Cook arrived at Cape Grafton.
Cook required water and tried to land in a bay north of the cape but mangroves lined the shore and Cook contented himself by landing on the cape itself in Mission Bay. The larger bay is Trinity Bay and Cairns is situated close to where Cook tried to land. A small cove in Cairns is called Cook Bay. Sailing on near Green Island Cook passed the northern end of Trinity Bay, Cape Tribulation, on June 10th. He gave that cape its name later, after the events of the next day had unfurled, as he deemed it was a portent for what was to follow.
The inlet was a river mouth and Cook managed to beach the ship on the southern shore just inside the mouth. Cook's relief at making land must have been considerable and even he had been forming contingency plans involving building a makeshift vessel to sail to Batavia (Jakarta). However, the extent of the damage was soon realised. The fothering had been very successful, while large pieces of coral had broken off and plugged the holes to a large extent. It would take some time but it was repairable and the carpenters set to work.
With great relief that the ship was savable, Cook, his officers and the scientists began exploring the hinterland and collecting botanical and zoological specimens. Gore shot a kangaroo, the first of several. The local people, Gogo-Yimidirs, were indifferent to the visitors at first and went about their normal activities such as fishing. Gradually though, contact was established and by July 19th some of the locals went on board the Endeavour. Communication was difficult but they let it be known that they did not approve of the large number of turtles that were caught. After seven weeks the repairs had been completed and Cook was ready to sail on August 4th. A settlement called Cooktown grew up at the mouth of the river, the Endeavour River.
Cook realised the Endeavour was in delicate condition and needed to be nursed through to Batavia. He sent the small boats ahead to plot a safe passage over and through the reef but making progress very slow. He climbed a headland, Point Lookout, to gain a view of the reef's outer edge, having decided it would be safer to sail in the open sea than staying on the reef. An island could be seen closer to the reef so Cook took the pinnace out to it and climbed the island's hill. Views were hazy and no obvious channel through the reef could be seen even though they remained overnight to look again next morning. They did see many lizards so the island became Lizard Island; later the hill became Cook's Look. Cook sailed the Endeavour past Lizard Island and, after crew had located a gap, he thankfully took the ship through the reef on August 14th and out into deep water.
They anchored among the Forbes' Islands off Bolt Head before continuing northwards to a headland, Cape Grenville, off which were numerous small islets. Many of these islets were later given names of men on board the Endeavour such as Gore, Clerke, Buchan, Orton and Magra. Sailing on, they came to the northernmost tip of the East Coast on August 21st, a point Cook called York Cape (the words were later reversed). Rounding the cape Cook anchored and went ashore on a small island.
From the top of a small hill Cook was convinced he had reached the north of New Holland and that a strait did exist allowing him to sail west. He then raised the flag and claimed the whole of the East Coast of New Holland for Britain but in doing so renamed the coast New South Wales. Cook returned to the ship and sailed it through a short strait, the Endeavour Strait, out into the Arafura Sea. Cook was trying to determine the extent of Torres Strait so he headed northwest towards New Guinea passing Booby Island and encountering more shoals, Cook Reef and Cook Shoal.
As stated above, the East Coast of Australia is full of names bestowed by Cook from Cape Howe on the Victoria-New South Wales border to Cape York in the north. Many capes, islands and other features carry names dating from the Endeavour Voyage, while a few others were named later to commemorate persons involved on the voyage. Cook used the name, Botany Bay, which has become one of the most famous in Australian history but its future is in doubt in 1999 because of a recent Government decision to use an Aboriginal name instead.
In 1969 and 1970 many places in Australia marked the bicentenary of Cook's 1770 Voyage by erecting monuments and plaques to record the passage along the East Coast. In some cases these places were well away from the coast. The range in the form of the monuments is large with parks, statues and even a "Singing Ship"near Rockhampton. At other times Cook's name has been used for bridges, suburbs of large cities (and, of course, Cooktown), Public Houses, Universities and Schools, and Companies, especially those with a maritime connection such as cruises. The most important memorial, though, is the Historic Landing Site at Kurnell on the south side of Botany Bay.
Sailing west across the Arafura Sea they passed to the south of the Aru and Tanimbar Islands. Cook was not happy about the accuracy of the charts he had on board and in his journal he made the case for proper charts to be produced by trained surveyors and maintained by an agency. This plea was eventually realised by the creation of the Hydrographic Board. The Dutch through their Dutch East India Company had had a strong presence in this area for over 100 years controlling the spice trade and Cook knew that a British ship would be viewed with suspicion sailing through these waters. He was making, therefore, for Batavia (Jakarta) on the island of Java with a minimum of stops. Cook would have liked to have called in at Timor for its associations with the explorer Dampier but he sailed on to pass through the strait between Timor and Roti (Selat Roti) on September 16th.
On the 17th Cook was surprised to arrive at a small island, Savu, where he stayed for four days. The Dutch Resident official was predictably unhappy about the Endeavour's presence and reluctant to allow any trade but the local Sultan and his people were more receptive. Eventually oxen and other stores were taken on board. Cook then sailed on past the neighbouring island of Raijua towards Java.
On October 1st they rounded Java Head and Princes Island to enter Sunda Strait, between Java and Sumatra. Adverse winds, currents and the suspicions of Dutch Naval officials slowed their progress and it took them until the 10th before they anchored in the Batavia Roads. The Dutch were then insistent that any repairs be carried out in their yards, by their men and at exorbitant rates set by them, to which Cook most reluctantly had to agree. Even then bureaucracy slowed matters further and it was the 18th before the Endeavour was transferred to Onrust Island and November before repairs began there.
Cook was proud of reaching Batavia with only three people suffering from minor ailments, but Batavia was to be his undoing. The city was low-lying and canals, built by the Dutch, were stagnant and a breeding ground for tropical diseases such as dysentery, cholera, malaria and typhoid. These diseases were rampant and six men died here, including Tupaia and Surgeon Monkhouse. Everyone, including Cook, was ill at some time during the stay and many contracted the diseases from which they died over the next few weeks. To everyone's great relief the Endeavour left Batavia on December 26th but going back through the Sunda Strait was another slow ordeal. They anchored at Princes Island (Pulau Panaitan) on January 6th 1771 to take on drinking water but afterwards this water was thought to be polluted and responsible for many of the subsequent deaths.
They saw the coast of Africa on March 5th, probably near Port St. Johns between Durban and East London. The Agulhas coastal current then carried them down past the southernmost point of Africa, Cape Agulhas. The Endeavour was off the Cape of Good Hope on March 13th ready to enter Cape Town the next day. A relieved Cook anchored in Table Bay and sought permission to take the sick, among them Solander, ashore. 28 were dispatched to sick quarters where all but tworecovered.
Cook went to present his papers to the Dutch Governor of the colony and to gain permission to trade, restock and repair the ship. All trade had to be handled by the Dutch East India Company on their terms, which did not impress Cook. Shore leave was granted and while most of the party remained in the town Gore climbed Table Mountain and collected specimens for Banks. Banks heard about Bougainville's expedition to the Pacific and French plans for more voyages. They left port on April 15th and Cook put into Robben Island (Penguin Island) but was not allowed to land. The next day the Master, Molyneux, died.
On May 26th Zachary Hicks, Cook's second-in-command, died after a long illness. Cook held a course northwest until June 11th when in latitude 40°N they turned and headed just north of east for Britain. Cook and the ship had been away from Britain for nearly three years and he, like most on board, was keen to be home. Cook was beginning to wonder about his family and how many of his children would still be alive? Would his father and his sisters be alive in Cleveland? Another concern for him was how the voyage and his role in it would be assessed. Unlike Banks he was not a member of the establishment so could not mix in influential circles to give his version of events.
They were by now in more crowded waters and saw and conversed with several other ships. They even briefly regained contact with the Indiamen fleet. On July 10th Nicholas Young, the boy who had first sighted New Zealand, was the first to see Land's End. They quickly sailed up the English Channel, passing Dover on the 12th, to anchor in the Downs off Kent on July 13th. Cook immediately set off for London to report to the Admiralty and to see his family on Mile End.
The Endeavour had gone to Tahiti to observe the Transit of Venus. They had arrived in time and had made a reasonably successful sighting. Unfortunately Green had not written up the records properly and with his death on the Indian Ocean, Cook and others were left to complete them. Following the Transit, Cook had set off in search of Terra australis incognita, the Great Southern Continent, and had shown, to most people's satisfaction, that it did not exist. There were some, like Dalrymple, who felt Cook had not been diligent enough in looking and that a continent still waited to be located. Cook himself already had ideas for another voyage that would finally lay the myth to rest.
Cook's charts of New Zealand and the East Coast of Australia visited on the way home remain very fine records of his prowess as a surveyor and cartographer. In his dealings with the people of the Pacific Cook did make some mistakes but generally the contacts went very well and many friendships were established. His treatment of his own crew and the fact that he lost so few men in nearly three years away (Batavia could not be helped) set new standards, even for short voyages. The voyage can be regarded as one of the first scientific voyages thanks to the collecting work of Banks and Solander, the ethnographic observations of them and Cook and the drawings of Parkinson and Sporing. Again new standards were created for future voyages to emulate.
All in all, the Endeavour Voyage had achieved its purposes and for James Cook, its architect, manager and principal player, it marked the start of his rise to fame.
At first he was absorbed with his family and preparing the records of the voyage for the Admiralty. In August though the Admiralty thanked him for what he had achieved on the voyage. They confirmed the promotions that Cook had recommended for the crew of the Endeavour and told Cook he would be made a Commander. Then at the end of the month Cook was presented to the King, who confirmed Cook's promotion.
Linked to his promotion was an appointment to HMS Scorpion, a sloop commissioned to renew the charts of British waters but Cook never actually sailed on this ship or in this capacity. During this period Cook had been corresponding with people such as John Walker in Whitby. In December Cook applied for leave and travelled north to Cleveland with Elizabeth to see his family and friends, including the Walkers. When Cook returned to London in early January 1772 plans were already underway for a second voyage and much of Cook's time from now on was spent on these preparations.
Cook was beginning to mix in other circles. He began meeting with members of the Royal Society and was a dinner guest at influential houses in London. The Earl of Sandwich invited him to his country house, Hinchingbrook, near Huntingdon. On June 21st Cook said farewell to his family and went down the Thames to Sheerness to join the Resolution for the second voyage.